Page 99 of Carved in Ruin

Elliot points at her with a mock-serious look. “What did I say about calling me ‘professor’?”

“Right. BestElliotwe’ve ever had,” she corrects, grinning.

“Better,” he says, then waves as he heads out the door.

We leave the lab. I spot him outside, leaning against his car. Rafael is impossible to miss—broad shoulders, dark clothes, and that dangerous presence that makes my heart race and my palms sweat.

His eyes meet mine. I can’t look away.

Sam bumps his shoulder into mine, breaking the spell. “Go get your man,” he teases, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Mary nudges me too. “Sam wasn’t kidding. He’s scary hot.”

I roll my eyes, heat crawling up my neck. “Goodbye,” I mutter, waving them off before I start toward Rafael.

As I approach him, I cross my arms. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m picking you up.”

I arch a brow, refusing to make this easy for him. “And what makes you think I’ll go with you?”

“Because you don’t have a choice.”

He scoops me up like I weigh nothing. I don’t even bother fighting. I’m tired. Tired of fighting him, tired of fighting us.

The drive to the penthouse is quiet. He doesn’t say a word, but his hand grips the wheel so tightly I can see the strain in his knuckles. When we arrive, he leads me inside.

“I stocked the fridge with ice cream,” he says. “I know you like it.”

“You did?”

He nods, pulling open the freezer and handing me a tub with a spoon. “Sit,” he orders, motioning to the couch.

I do as he says, too tired to argue. He sits next to me. I take a small bite, but the ice cream isn’t what’s on my mind. I know why he’s here.

“I need to apologize,” he says finally. “For everything. For forcing you into this marriage, for using your past against you, for being blind to who you really are.”

I stare at him, spoon frozen halfway to my mouth. “Why did you do it, Rafael? Why did you marry me? For revenge?”

His jaw tightens, and he looks away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. “No,” he admits. “It wasn’t for revenge. It was selfish. I just wanted you. I wanted you tied to me, bound to me, so you couldn’t leave.”

“I wanted you to feel the chaos you brought into my life. I wanted you to hurt the way I hurt. But none of it worked. It only made me want you more. Hurting you was easier than admitting that I needed you more than I’ve ever needed anything. Pushing you away while holding on tight was what I was doing from the start. Loving you felt like betrayal. To the Bratva, to myself. But not loving you wasn’t an option. Do you have any idea what kind of hell that is?” He continues. “I’ve fought every instinct to hate you, and instead, I’ve loved you in ways I never thought possible. Come back to me, Mila. Come back, and let me prove that we can bury the past.”

I pause, something else bubbling up inside me, a question that’s been tormenting me. “Even that day, when you protected me from the bullets, was that part of your plan too? Just another way to get back into my life so you could hurt me more?”

His expression darkens, his gaze locking onto mine, and for a moment, I think he might snap. But then, his voice softens. “No, Mila. When that first bullet rang out, all I could think aboutwas you. Protecting you wasn’t a strategy—it was instinct. My heart knew what I kept denying. I love you. If something had happened to you that day, I would’ve died after you. Do you understand that?”

His desperation is palpable, but I can’t ignore the doubts swirling in my mind. “We bring out the worst in each other. What if we’re better off apart?”

“I don’t care if we destroy each other. I’d rather burn with you than live without you.”

“Rafael—”

“No,” he interrupts. “You don’t get to push me away, Mila. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that I can be the man you deserve.”

“I am so fucking sorry,” he exhales. “For everything. For not being able to separate the past from the present. For looking at you and seeing him instead of you. You’re nothing like your father, Mila. And I was a fool for not seeing it sooner.”

I set the spoon down, staring at the swirl of ice cream as I gather my thoughts. “I think we’re toxic for each other, Rafael. There’s too much baggage, too much damage. We tear each other apart.”

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